Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-07
COURTSHIP IN RUSSIA.
Mating of the Young Folks at
Social Evening Gatherings.

pointment in the long, stormy winter
evenings, selecting the house of each
one in turn. Boys and girls come
dressed in holiday attire, the latter
carrying their looms and linen thread,
which they are supposed to convert
into the much priced linen. These
pretty young misses pass the hours in
idle gossip until the time approaches
for the arrival of the sterner sex,
when each one hies to her loom and
begins to work most earnestly, by
which means they seek to impress on
the minds of their lovers their capabil-
tiles of becoming good wives and
housekeepers but this feigned in
dustry does not last long, for when the
male members have entered the cham
ber-work is suspended, and pleasure
begins by the young men Inviting their
fair friends to join them in forming a
circle. This done, they all join in
singing, after which one of the
girls selects her young gentleman
(moi-miloi), my love, as she calls
him, and leads him into the middle
of the circle, then walks back and
forth, chanting love song, in which
the rest of the guests join. In the
song usually selected she tells Of the
beauty of the lover she has chosen !;
how much she loves him; how she
would leave home and parents, broth
ers, sister and friends, and follow him
the wide world over. AS the song
runs, she would follow him across the
seven oceans, or over seven high
mountains, and rest beneath their
shadow, where she could enjoy her
happiness undisturbed.
So, in turn, each girl selects her moi
miloi and leads him into the circle,
when the same love chanting is re-
peated until all the girls have made
their choice. Next in turn come the
yuung men, who each select a partner
and 90 through the same performance,
the whole affair terminating with the
| dancing of the Russian Cossack.
| At the conclusion of this dance each
Young peasant escorts the object OF his
choice to her home. At these gather
ings they are as free as the birds OF
the air. and take for their mate whom
soever they will, without any regard
to third party. When the time ar
lrives that formal declaration is to be
made, the youth, accompanied by
some member or members of his
family, who are supposed to aid ma
terially in obtaining the parents con-
sent, proceed to the home of his lady
Hove and there make known his wishes
to the father and mother.
The mother, not at all surprised,
usually reads the young man a lecture
on the duties and burdens Of married
life, bewailing all the ills and speaking
of few of the blessings, and ends by
declaring her daughter is too young tc
marry yet, too young to be given ovel
to the cruel tyranny of an exactlns
husband. She prefers to see her az
free and happy as the birds OF hel
native woods. All this is but a Gus
tom which must be observed, so fear
full are they that the young man might
suppose his bride too easily won. The
suitor, further to conciliate the mother
now begins to lavish all kinds o
presents. on her, according to his
means, at the same time telling hel
how much he loves her daughter ano
how happy he will make her darling.
The mother listens attentively to the
burning, soul stirring language, appar
emily weighing in deep thought all he
says, looking occasionally at the pres
ents presented to her, and which
much fear are the key which unlock'
the door of her heart. She finally
gives a rather unwilling assent, witt
the proviso ii the father is willing
This is a needless precaution on hel
part, for as rule the father is only
too willing to ease himself of the bur
den of daughters support.
But you will naturally ask where
the poor victim is all this time. Why
in the next room, of course, where
every word uttered by her lover fall
like sweet music on her ears. She un
derstands her mothers tactics, anC
| yet it must be with trembling hear
that she awaits the sealing of her fate
/ All preliminaries arranged between
, mother and lover, the daughter i
[ called into the room to receive tn,
. parental blessing, instead of whicl
l she kneels to her mother, praying no
: to be taken from her. She describe
a the beauties of her virgin life, and de
? clares she has no wish to change it
y prefers her freedom to all else and beg
A that her mother will not make fo
4 her the hated red petticoat, which con
r stitutes the principal portion of tn
0 wardrobe of every peasant tribe. Th
| daughtar pleads, the mother caresses
r and seeks to persuade her to acceI
q the lover, to whom but a short tim
Y before she refused to give her. TIL
d mother, while gently stroking tn
/ glossy hair of her child, tries to pei
e suade her that after all a virgin life
$ not the most desirable; that God ha
e placed her in this world wit
]. a mission which she mus
Il seek to fulfill; that sh
e cannot always remain at her mother
e side; she must go out from the parer
s roof, and make home for hersel
n All these things and many more al
| said in vindication of the life appa
|, emily forced upon her. The motht
,, concludes by repeating to the daugl
IS ter all the lover has told her of h
|. bright hopes for the future, and tn
a sacrifices he is willing to make for h,
( happiness. The daughter final
RI yields under such persuasi,
|, words, and who would not III
N less it were heart of adamant
Of The young people then kneel to r
IN ceive the parental blessing, which
IN given with a great deal of ceremon
ir Then the priest is called upon to b
stow his blessing, which is very bea
q? tiful and impressive. At its concl
sion he places a ring on the hand
each. This ceremony is call,
obrseechiny, and is considers
IS, even more sacred than ma
Il, riage itself. The parents of Il
IS, engaged girl arrange long tabl
es on which they place the samover al
ID ID summon the neighbors to share
y. their rejoicing. The girl prepares te
II the first cup of which she hands